The Patriots are one of four unlucky teams with the NFL’s latest bye week.
After playing 13 straight games, accumulating a 11-2 record and putting together a 10-game winning streak, the Patriots finally will head off on their bye week after being in the facility Tuesday to rewatch Monday night’s win over the Giants.
So, what’s head coach Mike Vrabel’s message to the Patriots this week?
“That we’re not done. We’re not satisfied. I think champions are never satisfied,” Vrabel said. “I think you can appreciate where you are, but at the same time, never be satisfied or complacent. The fine line between rest and recovery, and just being sedentary. So, there’s a fine line of what we have to do to be able to come back in here, understand that just because you have a bye, that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed some victory the next week in this league.
“Teams are 16-12 coming off a bye this year, so obviously the bye doesn’t guarantee anything other than we should get some guys back that we didn’t have last night, and we’ll see where that goes throughout the week. Give them some time to reconnect with people that they care about, and then also be ready to focus on football and us finishing this thing.”
It would definitely be a positive if the Patriots can get some of their injured players back on the field.
Will Campbell and Milton Williams will remain on injured reserve when the Patriots return from their bye week on Dec. 14 against the Bills. Rookie left guard Jared Wilson (ankle), defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (chest) and special-teams captain Brenden Schooler (ankle) also missed Monday night’s game with injuries.
All of the Patriots’ injury replacements played admirably against the Giants, with Vederian Lowe and Ben Brown filling in for Campbell and Wilson, Cory Durden, Eric Gregory and Joshua Farmer taking on bigger roles withut Tonga and Williams, and Dell Pettus, Charles Woods and Miles Battle taking on Schooler’s jobs on special teams.
It’s notable that Vrabel is even mentioning the “champions” word. The Patriots do have the best record in the NFL and are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC. At +450 to win the AFC championship, they have the second-best Super Bowl odds of any team in their conference.